Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-08

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In the future, people may no longer be able to pay for things in shops using cash. All payments may have to be made by card or using phones. Do you think this will happen one day? Why do you think some people might not be happy to give up using cash?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

 

Student answer (Band 6.5)

As the technology is improving at a devastating rate, many claims that in the coming years people might give up using cash completely instead they will use cards or online money to pay for goods. I believe that this will happen in the future, looking at the sky-rocketing rate of technology. However, some folks might not be happy to give up using cash completely. In this essay, I am going to explore how can digital money replace old money and why some parts of public might not feel easy with it.

In the 21st century, mostly everyone has a bank account and a smartphone and that's all you need to make a cashless transaction. Nowadays, in fast food restaurants, individuals rarely use cash for purchasing food they tend to pay digitally using their cards because it feels easy to just tap a card on the reader instead of paying cash in the exact amount manually. That's why public is leaning more towards online money since it is easy to pay and more quick than traditional cash transactions. Furthermore, it is more secure instead of having cash in your pocket that might fell somewhere. Due to these reasons I think folks are going towards cashless transactions.

Whereas, some part of the world feels discomfort in doing so. Firstly, there are so many elderly individuals who might not know how to properly use their cell phones to make a purchase digitally. Secondly, not every place accepts online purchases, they only accepts cash. For example, in my less developed nations there are countless places that do not support online transactions, thus folks there need cash to make purchases.

To recapitulate, I think digital transaction will replace old money completely somewhere in the future, since in the fast-paced world everyone wants to make quick transactions and that's what digital money is for.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, providing a clear position on the future of cash and explaining why some individuals might be reluctant to adopt digital payments. The ideas are relevant and logically structured. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited; for instance, the explanation regarding elderly individuals and infrastructure could be further extended with more specific examples or deeper analysis to reach a higher band. The position is consistent throughout, and the essay maintains a clear focus on the topic provided.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two main points of the prompt. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'Whereas', and 'To recapitulate' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there is occasional repetition of phrasing (e.g., 'digital money', 'cash'). The progression of ideas is generally smooth, though the link between the introduction and the first body paragraph could be more sophisticated.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common collocations, such as 'sky-rocketing rate' and 'fast-paced world'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice, such as 'devastating rate' (which carries a negative connotation not intended here) and 'fell somewhere' (should be 'fallen'). The range is sufficient to convey meaning, but more precise and varied vocabulary would be required to reach a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'many claims that' (should be 'many claim that'), 'more quick' (should be 'quicker'), and 'they only accepts' (should be 'they only accept'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are minor issues with sentence boundaries and article usage. The errors do not impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score.

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